Trainer and fitness guru Justin Bradshaw modeled SGT. H20's CombatSwim after the rigorous training he received as an Army diver. His challenging exercises encourage full-body fitness, using workouts that build stamina, boost metabolism, improve swimming skills, and promote weight loss. Incorporating the best of land-based cross-training systems, CombatSwim includes plenty of high-intensity interval training and pulse-hiking calisthenics. In the pool, water adds extra resistance that amplifies the effects of the exercises, which include swimming sprints, endurance swimming, and treading water with weights. Designed to sharpen the mind as well as the body, CombatSwim leaves exercisers with the same confidence and conditioning as some of the world's elite military warriors.

An intensive four-week exercise regimen crafted by certified personal trainer Ally Davidson helps campers peppered across the fitness spectrum attain weight-loss results and sweat-slicked brows. The certified boot-camp staff sends muscles on a brisk march toward a firmer condition six days a week, helming total-body workouts that include interval training, plyometrics, and an abs-twisting assortment of timed strength and agility drills. The staff regularly switches up workout regimens to ensure that muscles don't become as bored as nihilists in a bounce house. Aware that not all recruits have the same motives for joining their brigade, trainers customize the workouts to squeeze the best results from bodies of all ages and fitness abilities. The camp schedule varies based on location, with early-morning camps to awaken muscles stuck on snooze and evening sessions to end the day on a note of high endorphins.

Shady Acres Pet Ranch is more like a farm than a typical boarding facility. On three acres of land, lush, green grass awaits hounds who can frolic in three play yards dappled with sunlight thanks to the property's 100-year-old oak trees. Pups spend their daylight hours playing with similarly-sized friends under the watchful eyes of pet-friendly staff members. Then, as the sun sets, they can hunker down in heated and air-conditioned closed-door suites that offer privacy for dogs who keep diaries. Though farm-like in many ways, the ranch does boast a number of modern amenities where it counts, including having a CPR– and First Aid–certified caretaker.

Established: 1984
Reservations/Appointments: Required
Staff Size: 25?50 people
Average Duration of Services: 2?4 hours
Brands Used: Mizuno, Molten
Pro Tip: Free WiFi
Handicap Accessible: Yes
Parking: Parking lot
Most Popular Attraction/Offering: Club volleyball
Recommended Age Group: Kids
Q&A with Chase Fishback, Sports Training Manager
Apart from your business's main attraction, do you offer any "hidden" services or activities that visitors are always delighted to learn about?
ASC offers many sports leagues, from youth to adult, such as volleyball, basketball, futsal, dodgeball, and more. ASC also provides camps and clinics for kids to learn and enhance their athletic skills in volleyball, basketball, and strength and conditioning.
When and how did you first develop a passion for your work?
I've been involved in athletics as a young kid through college, where I started working with kids in multisport camps. I've been fortunate to work with and train people ranging from 5-year-olds to professional athletes in many different sports, and have done so since 2002. After my college football career ended, I've looked forward to every opportunity to help people get healthier and better at their chosen sports.
Have you ever been a patron of your own business? If so, what was the most enjoyable part?
I have been a patron of my own business. Not only do I get to train about 20 staff members in a strength and conditioning program I developed, but I choose to train with them to push them farther than they think they can go.

Groupon Guide

There’s a reason the Luci and Ian Family Garden has been dubbed the “Garden of Yes.” The new addition to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is more interested in letting kids enjoy themselves outdoors than imposing restrictions on their play. It says to kids: yes, you may climb on that precarious-looking felled log. Yes, you may walk behind the waterfall. Yes, you may hop across the pond on little stepping stones and dig in the dirt. And yes, you may dump water all over the porous rocks (and yourself).
No wonder the place is being billed as the cure for Nature Deficit Disorder.
The freewheeling atmosphere is no accident. It’s clear that the 4.5-acre stretch of woodland and meadow, which opened to the public in May, was deliberately designed to get kids moving. There are more than a dozen interactive features in the Family Garden, including a small cave to climb inside, porous limestone “pedestals” for adding water to a creek, giant bird’s nests with portable wooden eggs, and a metamorphosis shrub maze. Around every corner, children will discover something new to engage with, ranging from hopscotch courts to exercise equipment.
Of course, kids don’t have to make all their own fun. The garden’s “Nature Play Leaders” help too, offering young visitors binoculars to explore the woods, answering questions about the native plants and wildlife, and organizing games like duck duck goose on the great lawn.
The only thing lacking in the new section of the Wildflower Center is shade—plan accordingly if you’ll be visiting in the heat of summer. Bring plenty of water along, especially if you’re planning to have a picnic in the garden. (By lunchtime the kids will be parched from playing tag on the great lawn.) You’ll also want to load up a backpack or stroller with everything you need when you leave the car, since it’s quite a hike back to the parking lot.
Normally you gain entry to the Family Garden with paid admission to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. But during Nature Nights, families can visit both the Wildflower Center and Family Garden at no charge. Nature Nights are held on select Thursdays each summer and feature presentations, guided hikes, and nature crafting for kids of all ages. On these special Thursdays, the Wildflower Center is free all day, not just in the evening. Just make sure you arrive early since the parking lot fills quickly.
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is located at 4801 La Crosse Ave. in South Austin.
Photos by Heidi Gollub

Nostalgia’s in the air this week in Austin. Cirque du Soleil is honoring the King of Pop with a show that reinterprets his greatest hits, and both Summer Stock Austin and Frank are celebrating milestone anniversaries with concerts. Of course, no one’s looking back further in time than the interactive exhibit Discover the Dinosaurs. All of which reminds us: remember that time Groupon had lots of other ideas for things to do in Austin? We do too.
Discover the Dinosaurs
North Austin | Through Sunday, August 3
The heart of this exhibition may be the scavenger hunt, which requires you to navigate eight scenes full of dinosaur models to uncover facts about how the creatures lived. But educational value isn’t the only reason to attend. Kids can also jump in dino-themed inflatables, play prehistoric mini golf, and even ride an animatronic T. rex or triceratops. (North Austin Event Center, 10601 N. Lamar Blvd.; $16–$22; buy tickets here)
Summer Stock Austin: A 10th Anniversary Celebration
Bouldin Creek | Monday, August 4, 7:30 p.m.
What’s a birthday without a little singing? During this celebratory show, alumni of the well-regarded theater program return to stage highlights from the past 10 seasons. Expect numbers from Sweeney Todd, Footloose, West Side Story, Little Shop of Horrors, and many more. (The Long Center for the Performing Arts, 701 W. Riverside Dr.; $35–$75; buy tickets here)
Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour
Cedar Park | Tuesday, August 5, and Wednesday, August 6. at 8 p.m.
The songs—“Billie Jean,” “Thriller,” “Smooth Criminal”—may be familiar, but this high-energy show still promises plenty of surprises. A live band provides the soundtrack while throngs of performers pull off elaborate choreography, including a healthy dose of Cirque’s trademark acrobatics. (Cedar Park Center, 2100 Avenue of the Stars; $58–$200; buy tickets here)
Frank Fifth Anniversary with The Hold Steady
Warehouse District | Friday, August 8, 9 p.m.
The popular gourmet hot-dog joint has been holding it down in downtown Austin since 2009. To say thanks, they’re bringing in Craig Finn and company for a free show. But getting in may prove tricky: to earn a commemorative ticket designed by Helms Workshop, you have to win one off KUTX or Do512. (407 Colorado St.; free with contest win; buy tickets here)
Eat Out for Good
August 3–13
Eat Out for Good is like Restaurant Week with a generous streak. More than two dozen restaurants have created special menus for the event, such as a three-course steak dinner at Gusto Italian Kitchen + Wine Bar or a $20 prix fixe meal at G’Raj Mahal Cafe. The best part is at least 10% of proceeds go to a cause of the restaurant’s choosing, from Meals on Wheels to the Center for Child Protection.
Photo credits: OSA Images; Razor & Tie LLC

A major rock act and some beloved alt comedians are in town this week, but the most exciting arrival just might be a bunch of folks bearing pork: Texas Monthly’s BBQ Fest is bringing together 25 of the state’s best barbecue joints. Elsewhere, catch a Frozen sing-along in the park and a Robin Williams tribute at Blue Starlite Drive-In. And as always, check Groupon for more ideas for things to do in Austin.
Kings of Leon
Southeast Austin | Saturday, September 13
Kings of Leon continue their world tour in support of their most recent album, last fall’s Mechanical Bull. Expect a mix of the band’s earlier, bluesier tunes as well as the arena-rock hits that brought them mainstream success.(Austin360 Amphitheater, 9201 Circuit of the Americas Blvd.; $29.50–$69.50; buy tickets here)
TMBBQ Fest 2014
Bouldin Creek | Sunday, September 14
Every five years, Texas Monthly releases its list of the 50 best barbecue joints in Texas (and therefore the world). The reward for making the cut? An invite to serve up samples and sides at this popular barbecue bacchanalia. (City Terrace at the Long Center, 701 W. Riverside Dr.; $10–$80; buy tickets here)
Tim & Eric and Dr. Steven Brule
Downtown | Wednesday, September 17
John C. Reilly brings Dr. Steven Brule’s clumsy advice to the stage alongside groundbreaking surrealist comedians Tim & Eric, whose show is where Reilly developed the character. There will be singing. There will be dancing. There will probably be shouting, and we’re betting on some other form of emotional outburst as well. (Paramount Theatre, 713 Congress Ave.; $44.50–$49.50; buy tickets here)
Frozen Sing-Along
Pflugerville | Friday, September 19
This outdoor presentation is officially screening the “sing-along” version of Disney’s mega-hit, but odds are a good chunk of the audience already have the lyrics memorized. When you’re not belting out “Let It Go,” chow down on popcorn, shave ice, and other eats from food vendors. (Heritage Park, 901 Old Austin Hutto Rd.; free)
Robin Williams Tribute Night at the Drive-In
East Austin | Saturday, September 13, to Thursday, September 25
This month Blue Starlite Mini Urban Drive-In pays tribute to the late comedian the best way it can: by screening his work. Catch Hook, The Birdcage, Good Morning, Vietnam, Dead Poets Society, and more during the month’s double features, which also include a Mork and Mindy pre-show. (1901 E. 51st St.; $5.50+; discounted tickets available on Groupon; buy tickets here)